] A 22-year-old gamer has spent $26,500 (£13,700) on an
] island that exists only in a computer role-playing game
] (RPG).

At first, this seems like yet another Everquest story. But instead, I think it reveals a far more interesting scenerio. I like that we finally have explicitly capital-based MMORPGs. It is this form of venture that will lead to more the Metaverse like opportunities. I don't know how this system works, whether the company has financial reserves and mints objects appropriately, or what. But this is at least a step to a marketplace style VR engine, where everything is asset-backed.